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Thursday Night Football Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Best Bets

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/30/2026

Thursday Night Football picks for Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cleveland Browns Aaron Rodgers

This week’s edition of Thursday Night Football features two AFC North foes as the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns. Every team sits at 2-1 in the AFC North through the first three weeks of the season. Pittsburgh has two close wins over the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals. Their one loss came in their lone road game when they were blown out by the New England Patriots. The Browns are riding a lot of momentum as they bring in a two-game winning streak. Cleveland lost their season opener to the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road but quickly rebounded with a road win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Browns also snuck past the Carolina Panthers in their home opener this last weekend. While both teams are dealing with a short week, the Browns have some serious injury storylines to follow ahead of this matchup.

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Thursday Night Football Steelers vs Browns Game Odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers: -2.5 / Moneyline: -148

Cleveland Browns: +2.5/ Moneyline: +124

Over/Under: 38.5

Thursday Night Football Pittsburgh Steelers Game Preview

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a close win over the Bengals, taking down their division foes 30-27 in a game that came down to the wire. The Steelers’ other win looked extremely familiar as they beat the Falcons by one possession in the opening week. The defense did good enough to get the win, but they still allowed 4.6 yards per carry, and they struggled to stop Cincinnati on third or fourth down. The offense on the other hand recorded a season high 30 points after they managed 411 total yards on offense, with 138 of them coming on the ground. Jaylen Warren had a strong game as he averaged 7.5 yards per carry and totaled 127 yards on the ground, and another 49 receiving yards. Overall, the Steelers offense is below average in the league rankings as they have averaged just 17.7 PPG and 303.3 YPG. The defense has performed a bit better allowing just 305.7 YPG which ranks seventh in the league, though they have allowed 20 PPG.

If the Steelers want to continue their early season success, they need to continue to get the offense working at the level they did last week. Warren had one of the best performances in his career, and he will be looked upon to lead the ground game in the same way going forward this season. Aaron Rodgers also showed glimpses we all witnessed many years ago with his elite flashes of play. If Warren can get going early, it will open up the passing game for Rodgers. On defense, success will start in the trenches. If T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Derrick Harmon can disrupt the Cleveland passing game, the Steelers should find themselves in the win column again here.

Pittsburgh Steelers 3 Keys to Victory

  1. Win the Ground Game
  2. Get to the Quarterback
  3. Let Rodgers Work

Pittsburgh Steelers Injuries

CB Jalen Ramsey – Questionable

RB Rico Dowdle – Questionable

CB Brandin Echols – Questionable

Thursday Night Football Cleveland Browns Game Preview

As mentioned, the Browns are bringing a lot of momentum into this division showdown as they are coming off back-to-back wins. While the scoreboard showed a win for the Browns, they did not look great. They were outgained by over 100 yards, and they had 84 penalty yards. The defense did hold the Panthers to just 18 points and allowed just four third down conversions out of 15 tries. Watson struggled in this one as he tallied just 144 passing yards on 16 pass attempts. On the other side of the ball, Mason Graham had himself a game as he recorded seven tackles, three tackles for a loss, and two sacks. Overall, the Browns’ offense ranks 30th in the league in yards as they are averaging just 266 YPG. They are also failing to light up the scoreboard as they are averaging just 18 PPG. The defense has been average, allowing 344.3 YPG and 23.7 PPG.

With a lot of injury questions on the offensive line, the game balances on who wins in the trenches, and at first glimpse it appears the Steelers have a strong edge. Elgton Jenkins did not practice as he continues to deal with a concussion, and Teven Jenkins along with Tytus Howard are also listed as questionable. Even with the injuries, Cleveland is going to have to find a way to disrupt the Steelers pass rush. On offense, the ground game is going to have to find a way to bail out the passing attack as Watson continues to underperform. Quinshon Judkins and company are going to have to extend drives and find the endzone in order to find a way to win this one.

Cleveland Browns 3 Keys to Victory

  1. Protect Deshaun Watson
  2. Control Time of Possession
  3. Limit the Big Play on Defense

Cleveland Browns Injuries

C Elgton Jenkins – Questionable

G Teven Jackson – Questionable

OT Tytus Howard – Questionable

WR Tylan Wallace – Questionable

CB Tyson Campbell – Questionable

S Grant Delpit – Questionable

Thursday Night Football Game Predictions for Steelers vs Browns

With all the injury concerns across the Browns offensive line, I am leaning towards the Steelers here. While they have some injuries of their own, it really looked like the offense took a huge step forward last week and the defense continues to be reliable. Watt and company will get to the quarterback and really shut down the Cleveland offense. Expect a low scoring game as the Steelers shut down the Browns offense, though expect to see some flashy plays from Rodgers, Warren, and the rest of the Pittsburgh offense.

My Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers, -2.5 / Under 38.5

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